Shoe machines with feelers for controlling welt-severing mechanisms



Oct. 3, 1961 L. a. MILLER 3,002,474

SHOE MACHINES WITH FEELERS FOR CONTROLLING WELT-SEVERING MECHANISMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1959 Inventor Lloyd G Miller By his Aitomg Oct. 3, 1961 G MILLER 3,002,474.

SHOE MACHINES WI TH FEELERS FOR CONTROLLING WELT-SEVERING MECHANISMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 23, 1959 Oct. 3, 1961 L. G. MILLER 3,002,474

SHOE MACHINES WITH FEELERS FOR CONTROLLING WELT-SEVERING MECHANISMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 25, 1959 Oct. 3, 1961 G. MILLER 3,002,474

SHOE MACHINES wrrn FEELERS FOR CONTROLLING WELT-SEVERING MECHANISMS Filed Jan. 23, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Oct. 3, 1961 L G MlLLE 3,002,474

SHOE MACHINES WI'TH 'FEELERS FOR CONTROLLING WELT-SEVERING MECHANISMS Filed Jan. 23, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 9 Fig.2};

The present invention relates to Goodyear inseam sewing machines for attaching welts to lasted shoe uppers and sole members, and more particularly to improvements in a shoe sewing machine of the type disclosed in applications for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 558,933, filed January 13, 1956, and Serial No. 632,865, filed January 7, 1957 (now Patent No. 2,900,933, granted August 25, 1959, and Patent No. 2,885,980, granted May 12, 1959), both in the name of James P. Carter, in which a welt is severed automatically in advance of the sewing point in the machine through the use of a feeler engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time during continued sewing operations.

The machine of the prior Carter patents has stitchforming and feeding devices, a welt severing knife, and a feeler for actuating the knife in the form of a finger disposed at an acute angle with that portion of the bulging upper of the shoe which extends in the direction of feeding movement of the shoe toward the position of feeler engagement, so that as the shoe is fed the leading end of the welt engages and forces the feeler upwardly until a microswitc-h connected to the feeler closes a circ-uit to a knife-actuating solenoid. To insure that the feeler is forced upwardly at a uniform position of the leading end of a welt each time the welt engages the feeler, it is located to be contacted by the 'welt at a point where the welt is backed by a bulging last-supported portion of the shoe upper, the bulging last supported upper acting positively to form a base for the welt end, so that the feeler will be actuated with certainty at the desired point. Accordingly, the welt is severed by the knife in a manner to enable the leading and final ends to be matched and butted accurately with an inconspicuous joint, across which the seam being inserted may overlap without stopping the machine. Thus, it is possible to sew the welt entirely throughout the marginal portions of a lasted shoe upper and a sole member in the manufacture of a sewed heel seat Goodyear welt shoe without stopping the machine or requiring any extra manual operations aside from the usual positioning movements of the shoe.

While the machine of the prior patents operates extremely effectively, it has been found that in order to insure engagement of the feeler with the leading end of the welt on a sewed heel seat Goodyear shoe with reliability, a yielding force must be applied to thefeeler in sufficient amount to disturb somewhat the proper presentation of the shoe to the machine unless the operator of the machine has had sufiicient experience to offset by skillful manipulation the force of the feeler.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the operation of a Goodyear welt shoe inseam sewing machine having a feeler-actuated welt-severing knife of the type disclosed in the prior patents above-identified, in such a way that more uniform and reliable welt-severing attain Patented Oct. 3, 1961 ice operations are obtained with the exercise of less skill and ability than required heretofore. A further object of the invention is to improve the construction and arrangement of the parts in a Goodyear welt shoe inseam sewing machine having a welt-severing knife mounted for operation in advance of the sewing point in the machine, such that all of the parts are conveniently arranged and readily accessible for adjustments and repairs.

To the ends noted the present machine has stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating on the parts of a shoe entirely around their margins, an operating tool such as a welt-severing knife acting during operation of the machine to perform an auxiliary operation other than stitch-forming, feeding or guiding the shoe parts, and means for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices, including a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe at a point where it is firmly backed by the bulging last-supported portion of the shoe upper, as that end of the welt is approaching the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in which machine a guard is mounted to extend beyond the end of the feeler at a position where the guard alone may engage the bulging upper of the shoe in line with the end of the welt first attached to the shoe to insure proper actuation of the feeler exclusively by the leading end of the welt. Preferably, the feeler and guard are arranged for joint movement toward and from the shoe to enable the shoe to be directed by the guiding devices without interference with the guard during the major portion of the seam inserted by the stitch-forming devices, the feeler and guard being moved toward the shoe only at the latter end of an operation on the shoe. In its illustrated form the guard has an indentation within which the feeler is exposed to prevent engagement of the welt with the feeler, except along an obtuse angle ridge on the leading end of the welt formed during the previous welt-severing operation of the knife. In this feature of the invention, the guard has a welt-deflecting surface to press the leading welt end positively into engagement with the bulging upper of the shoe before contact of the welt end with the feeler is accomplished. In order to prevent engagement of the feeler with a marginal portion of the shoe upper which is fastened to the insole rib on a shoe, a fender projects from the guard beyond that side of the feeler facing the sewing rib.

To support the feeler it is mounted on a shiftable carriage having track means for confining its movement to a path inclined in the direction of feed toward thebulging portion of the last-supported upper, the angle.

of inclination of the guard in this feature being less than that of the angular face on the welt produced by the severing knife. With this constructionthe carrier is held from displacement as the leading end of the welt engages the guard and only relatively light actuating forces are required for moving the carriage in its track. A further advantage of the construction'outlined is that the guard is arranged to expose only a small portion of the feeler the indentation of the welt deflecting guard surface, so that an extremely light, yielding force is required to actuate the feeler with reliability, and great sensitivity and accuracy of operation are possible. T0

from accidental engagement with any of the shoe parts other than the welt.

These and other features as hereinafter described and claimed will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective detail view illustrating the operation on a shoe of the machine embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view in front elevation of the mounting and actuating mechanism for a welt end feeler and guard'in the machine of FIG. 1, the parts being shown with the feeler and gmard in inoperative positions retracted from a shoe; I

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail view, illustrating the action of'the feeler guard on the leading end of a welt first attached to the shoe just before the engagement of the welt with the feeler; i

FIG. 4 is a'furher sectional detail view of the feeler end guard illustrating the action of the leading end of the welt as it engages the feeler;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the parts surrounding the work-engaging. ends of the feeler and guard as the welt engages the feeler in the positions shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan detail view of the feeler and guard mounting and actuating mechanism shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective detail view on an enlarged scale of the welt end feeler and guard looking from the rear left with a portion of a base plate on which they are mounted, showing the parts in operative positions ready for engagement by the leading end of the welt on a shoe as it approaches the operating point in the machine a second time; a

' FIG. 8 is a detail view of a switch, including a set of contacts arranged to be closed when the feeler is engaged by the leading end of the welt, the contacts being illustrated in closed position;

FIG. "9'is a detail plan view of a fixed contact assembly included in the set illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a detail view in rear elevation of the fixed contact assembly;

FIG. 11'is a sectional detail view of the fixed contact assembly taken along the line XIXI of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a detail view of the fixed contact assembly, 1l ooking in the direction of the arrow XII-XII of I IG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a sectional detail view of a fender at the lower work-engaging portion of the feeler guard, taken along the line XIIIXIII of FIG. 16;

FIG. 14 is a similar cross sectional view of the fender on the feeler guard, taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 16:

FIG. 15 is a plan detail view of the work-engaging end of the feeler guard;

FIG. 16 is a detail view feeler guard and a portion of its carrier;

FIG. 17 is a sectional detail view, taken along the line XVII-XVII of FIG. 16, showing a portion of the guard which surrounds the feeler;

FIG. 18 is a perspective detail view looking from the rear left of the feeler and guard, together with the base plate on which they are mounted, indicating the posi tions of the parts while the feeler is retracted in inoperative position;

FIG. 19 is a sectional detail view, illustrating a portion of the feeler mounting base plate;

FIG. 20 is a further sectional detail view of the feeler mounting base plate taken along the line XX-XX of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a plan detail view, partly in section, illustrating the location and arrangement of the fixed feeler contacts;

FIG. 22 is a sectional detail XXIF-XXII of FIG. 18; i

in front elevation of the view taken along the line FIG. 23 is a sectional detail view of the feeler and guard actuating mechanism taken along the line XXIII- XXIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 24 is a sectional detail view of an adjustment for the feeler and guard mounting, taken along the line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 25 is a similar sectional detail view of the feeler and guard mounting, taken along the line XXV-XXV of FIG. 2.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is a Goodyear welt shoe inseam sewing machine similar to that disclosed in the patents above identified. The machine of those patents is provided with welt-severing, stitchforming or other attaching devices, and feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around the marginal portions of a last-supported shoe upper and sole member. A welt-severing knife is mounted for movement toward and from the welt as it passes through its guiding device, automatic mechanism being provided for actuating the knife including an electromagnet and a feeler mounted for engagement by the leading end of the welt already attached to the shoe as that end approaches the stitch-forming devices a second time. The prior machine is intended for operation upon a shoe which has a welt sewn thereto throughout the lengths of the bottom marginal portions, including the heel seat of the shoe or, alternatively for sewing or otherwise attaching a welt about the forepart only of the shoe.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings, the parts of a shoe including an insole 2, an upper 4 mounted on a last 5, and a welt 6, are operated upon by the usual stitch-forming and feeding devices of the machine, which inserts an inseam 8 and the leading end, indicated at 10, of the welt first attached to the shoe is engaged by the feeler, indicated at 12:, mounted for movement toward and from a position of engagement by the welt end 10 during the feeding movement of the shoe. When the feeler 12 is engaged by the welt end 10, as that end approaches the stitch-forming devices a welt-severing knife 14 (see FIG. 1) is projected against the welt running from a suitable supply at a position in advance of the sewing point in the machine sufliciently removed from the sewing point to avoid danger of contact with the parts of the shoe other than the welt as the sewing operation continues, the machine opzrating thereafter for a sufficient length of time to insert one or more stitches overlapping the ends of the welt which are brought into abutting engagement with each other.

The machine is then brought to rest under the control of the operator and other mechanisms are thrown into operation for advancing the end of the welt remaining in the machine across the sewing point in preparation for starting an inseam in a new shoe.

In the machine of the prior patents, the welt-severing knife is mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane forming an acute angle with that portion of the welt passing through its guiding device toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed. The severed end of the welt remains in the machine until after being advanced across the point of operation preparatory to starting a seam in a new shoe. As the operation on a new shoe proceeds, the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second time and eventually engages the feeler, which is arranged at an acute angle with relation to the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe and in close proximity thereto, so that as the leading end of the welt approaches the operating point the welt backed solidly by the last-supported upper operates the feeler with a definite positive movement. In some instances, it has been found that the leading end of the welt may diverge from the bulging upper of the shoe, so that it is necessary to close up the space between the welt and the upper with a heavy pressure on the feeler, as the ridge (in the welt formed previously by the knife first engages the feeler. Otherwise, the leading welt end is not forced firmly into engagement with the last-supported upper and the feeler is actuated too soon, causing a gap between the welt ends. If the yielding force exerted by the feeler is increased to prevent improper operation by reason of divergence in the welt from the upper, the sensitivity and uniformity of operation of the feeler may be impaired. Also, when too heavy a yielding force is impressed on the feeler, special attention on the part of the operator must be exercised to prevent displacement of the shoe from proper operating position or the feeler may fail to be actuated at all, especially when operating upon relatively thin, flexible welt.

According to an important feature of the present invention, the feeler 12 has extending beyond and surrounding its lower end a guard formed from a plate 16 having a welt-deflecting surface 18 forming an acute angle with the bulging shoe upper 4 along that portion extending in the direction of feed toward the feeler to press the welt end firmly into engagement with the bulging upper before the feeler is contacted by the welt end. The angle formed by the welt-deflecting surface on the feeler guard and the upper is less than that between the welt severing knife and the guiding devices for the welt, so that the welt-deflecting surface 18 of the guard engages uniformly with the obtuse angle ridge on the welt as it approaches the sewing point, causing the welt to be pressed firmly against the bulging upper of the shoe. In this way an extremely light yielding force exerted on the feeler will be sufficient to hold it in place until it is engaged by the leading end of the welt where it is firmly backed by the last-supported upper.

The usual Goodyear welt shoe inseam sewing machine is equipped with a curved hook needle 20, a curved work penetrating awl 22, for forming a perforation in the work within which the needle enters, a needle looper 24, a thread finger 26, a channel guide 28, and a sewing welt guide 30. The needle, awl and channel guide are mounted on carriers (not shown) movable independently in the direction of feed to impart a continuous feeding movement to a shoe being operated upon and these three devices are actuated in timed relation to their feeding movements to engage the work during their work feeding movements and to disengage the work in order that the devices may be back fed.

In order to minimize the possibility that the feeding and guiding movement of the shoe by the stitch-forming devices may be disturbed, especially by the engagement of the bulging last-supported surface of the shoe upper 4 with the feeler guard, according to the present invention, means is provided for moving the feeler and guard bodily together toward and from the shoe, so that the stitchforming and sewing-guiding devices may direct the shoe exclusively during the major portion of the seam inserted. To these ends the feeler and guard are mounted on a shiftable carriage (see FIGS. 7, 16, 20, and 22). The carriage is confined in its movement to a path 32 (FIGS. 1 and 4), indicated by a broken line and inclined in the direction of feed toward the bulging shoe upper at an angle substantially the same as that between the weltdeflecting surface 18 of the feeler guard and the bulging shoe upper 4. This latter angle, indicated at 34 in FIG. 1, is smaller than an angle 36 formed between the weltsevering knife 14 and the Welt 6 as it passes through a welt-advancing guide 38 consisting of a loose fitting enclosure surrounding the Welt in advance of the sewing guide and terminating at a position spaced from the sewing welt guide 30.

The knife 14 acts within a space 40 (FIG. 1) between the sewing guide and the advancing guide so that when the tknifecuts the welt between the two guides a face 42 (FIG. resulting on the end of the welt remaining in the machine reproduces the ang1e 36 between the knife 14 and the welt in the advancing guide 38. For this reason the obtuse angle ridge, indicated at 44 in FIG. 5 between the end face 42 and the upper surface of the welt always engages the welt-deflecting surface 18 on the feeler guard, depressing the acute angle at the extreme forward end of the welt against the bulging shoe upper 4, preventing the end from being doubled over in a manner to cause an improper operation of the feeler.

The actual path 32 of the feeler and guard carrier is arcuate but a tangent to this path at its point of nearest approach to the shoe is the determining factor of any component of force tending to disturb the feeler and to move it from its proper operating position. Accordingly, the engagement of the leading welt end on the feeler guard deflecting surface in an upward direction produces no appreciable component of upward movement in the feeler carrier. For this reason the actuating force for moving the carrier may be reduced to a minimum without danger of displacement by reason of the engagement of the shoe parts with the feeler or guard.

To insure that the obtuse angle ridge 44 on the welt will engage the feeler in a uniform predetermined relationship as it is being deflected along the surface 18 of the feeler guard, the deflecting surface terminates at its lower end in an indentation 46 with-in which the feeler is exposed. The size of the indentation is sufficient to receive the obtuse angle ridge 44 on the welt and the guard is so shaped at its lower end as to form a terminal 48 to admit the thickness of the welt only. Thus, the terminal forms with the indentation a space between the end 56 of the welt-deflecting surface 18 and the shoe upper 4 of a width corresponding to the thickness of the welt.

As is usual in a Goodyear welt shoe insole, an upstanding rib 50 (see FIG. 1) extends at right angles from the general plane of the insole 2 at a uniformly spaced distance from the edge 52 of the insole. It is usually called the sewing rib and is suitably reinforced by fibrous material 54 to receive the upper and welt attaching stitches of the inseam 8, which draws the upper and welt into an angle between the rib and a feather portion running from the rib to the extreme edge 52 of the insole. Before the shoe is sewn, the upper is held in its upstanding position against the rib 50 by lasting staples or other equivalent temporary fastening means (not shown).

Besides directing the welt 6 the sewing welt guide 30 co-operates with the channel guide 28 in maintaining and holding the shoe parts securely in the proper positions to be acted upon by the needle and awl as the seam 8 is inserted. During feed of the shoe the point of operation of the needle and awl progresses along the marginal portions of the insole and other parts until the operating point approaches the leading end of the welt already attached to the shoe. the direction of the shoe afforded by the channel guide 28 and the welt guide 30, the feeler 12 and the guard 16 are retracted from theirwork-engaging positions throughout the major portion of the seam and held in retracted positions until the shank portion of the shoe is reached. When the shank portion of the shoe is reached, the concave curvature encountered ordinarily does not impose upon the machine operator the necessity for exercising such exacting attention as is required along other marginal portions of the shoe. Accordingly, at this time it is possible to bring the feeler 12. and the guard 16 into operative positions with the end of the guard in contact with the bulging upper of the shoe and without adversely aifecting the quality of the seam inserted. The seam being inserted, therefore, is continued without interruption until the leading end 10 of the welt engages the feeler 12, whereupon the feeler and guard are immediately retracted to positions where they will no longer cause any likelihood of interference with the positioning movements imparted to the shoe by the operator.

To prevent accidental engagement of the feeler with an upstanding portion of the upper which is fastened to the sewing rib 50, the guard is also formed with a tender 58 To avoid disturbing projecting beyond that side of the feeler facing the insole n'b. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 13 to 17, inclusive, the fender 58 comprises an elongated protuberance running in a direction of work feed with sides conventiently beveled to avoid interfering with the feeding movement of the shoe parts.

The guard 16 itself is a plate provided with a recess or channeled-out area surrounding the feeler while still giving it freedom of movement relatively to the guard. The feeler 12 is constructed as a lever fulcrurned along its midportion on a shoulder screw 60 (see FIGS. 7 and 18). The shoulder screw 60 passes loosely through an opening in the feeler 12 and into threaded engagement with the guard 16. To maintain the feeler yieldingly in a position where it will be engaged by the welt, the head of the screw 60 has a groove within which fits a light to surround a portion of the feeler 12 and the other end is bent at right angles to enter an opening in a flange of the guard 16.

The construction of the shiftable feeler and guard carriage is best shown in FIGS. 7, 20, and 22, and comprises a pair of bolts 64 and 66, one of which passes through the guard 16 and a roll 68, and the other of which passes through the guard and of rolls 70. Both bolts For spacing the rolls on 80 carried by a box-like guideway within which a bar having the knife 14 connected at its lower end is slidingly mounted in a manner more particularly disclosed in Patent No. 2,900,933, the knife connected bar in the application being designated by the numeral 42 and the the present invention a guideway is indicated at 82 in FIG. 23 and forms a part of the main machine frame. The cover plate for the guideway is herein shown at 84, being attached to the guideway by a cap screw 86 countersunk screw 88 passing through the cover plate into threaded engagement with the guideway (FIGS. 23 and 25).

To enable the feeler and guard to be adjusted in the direction of work feed toward or from the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices in the machine, the cap screw 86 for holding the cover plate 84 in position on the guideway 82 for the welt-severing knife also passes through a gib 90 engaging the upper inclined surface of a dovetail slide 92 (see FIGS. 23, 24, and 25). Engaging the lower inclined surface of the dovetail slide 92 is a second gib 94 screwed to the plate 84 to form a horizontal guideway for the dovetail slide. The base plate 80 is made fast to the dovetail slide 92 by means of cap screws 96 passing through vertical slots 97 in the base plate 80.

To eifect an adjustment of the feeler laterally of the seam being sewn, a pair of shims 98 (see FIGS. 23 and 25) is disposed between the base plate 80 and the dovetail slide 92, so that removal of one or more of the shims or the introduction of additional shims produces the d sired results. To prevent displacement of the shims when the screws 96 are removed, the shims have passing through them and into the base plate 80 a pair of dowels, one of which is shown at 100.

To cause the welt-severing knife 14' to be actuated 1.21 whenever the obtuse angle ridge 44 at the leading end of the welt first attached to a shoe engages the feeler 12, the knife is connected to an armature of a solenoid more fully disclosed in the prior Patent No. 2,900,933, and a circuit for this solenoid is completed by an energizing switch mechanically connected to the feeler 12. For this purpose the upper end of the feeler has screwed to it an angular block 102 (see FIGS. 7 and 18) having fastened by a screw 103 (FIG. 8) to its lower surface an insulating fixture 104 beneath which is attached a bridging contact 106 arranged to engage and connect a pair of insulated contacts 108 and 110 fixed on the frame of the machine by reason of their being supported from the base plate 80, which in turn is mounted on the machine frame.

To support the contacts 108 and 110 from the base plate 80, the base plate has secured to its rearward surface an insulating bracket 112 formed in its upper surface with an L-shaped recess 114 (see FIG. 21). Within the recess 114 there is fixed by means of a pair of screws 116 an L-shaped contact assembly shown more clearly in FIG. 9.

The contact assembly consists of sandwiched flat conductors 118 and 120 and insulating plates 122 and 124, the parts are held together by tubular rivets 126 and 128. The flat conductor 1'20 being cut away around the rivet 126 and an insulating sleeve 130 surrounding the rivet 126 to prevent engagement of the conductor 120 therewith. The screws 116 pass through the rivets 126 and 128 and into threaded engagement with the bracket 112. The contact 108 is soldered to the conductor 118, which is engaged by the rivet 126 and the contact 110, which has a reduced shank passing through the insulating plate 122 and the reduced shank of the contact 110 is riveted beneath the conductor 120 to insure an electrical connection with that conductor. As shown in FIG. 21, the attaching screws 116 for the contact assembly also pass through terminal lugs 132 having wires extending to the circuit of the welt-severing knife solenoid.

By fixedly mounting the contacts 108 and 110 in the bracket 112 on the frame of the machine and attaching the bridging contact 106 to the feeler, it is possible to provide means for stopping the shifting movement of the carriage carrying the feeler along its track toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices at a position where the bridging contact 106 on the feeler is disposed opposite to and in alinement with the contacts on the frame. When the feeler is shifted to an inoperative position closing of the circuit through the fixed contacts is prevented, inasmuch as the bridging contact 106 is disposed out of line with the fixed contacts. Furthermore, the shifting movement of the carriage for the feeler is utilized to advantage in improving the sensitivity of the feeler and reducing the necessity of utilizing a strong feeler actuating spring 62.

The diameter of the wire employed in the feeler actuating spring 62 is kept so small that the force of the spring is sufiicient only to maintain the feeler in a position with its Welt-engaging end exposed in the indentation 46 of the feeler guard. If by reason of friction or other causes after the engagement of the welt end with the feeler it remains in actuated position relatively to the guard 16, it is returned to an inoperative position relative to the carriage where the contacts are opened when the carriage is again shifted away from the operating position, as shown in FIG. 18, thus insuring that the contacts 106, 108 and 110 are separated when the carriage is again shifted toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices. For this purpose the slot forming the track '78 has its lower end 134 (FIG. 2) located with relation to the rolls 70 on. the carriage, so that the feeler will be able adjustments having been made in the mounting of the contact supporting bracket 112 for this purpose. Wh he f ele car a is n pe a v po on s w in FIG. 7', the feeler is free to move in a direction to complots the circuit through the contacts 106, 108, and 110. As the carriage is shifted away from operative position,

however, an eccentric stud 136 (see FIGS. 7, 18, and 20) is engaged by a cam surface on the feeler to raise the upper end of the feeler and the bridging contact 106 thereon, returning it to a position relative to the carriage where the contacts are separated when the carriage is again shifted toward the operating point of the machine.

To enable the bridging contact to engage the fixed contacts when the feeler is in operative position, the under surface of the feeler is cut away at 138 to clear the stud 136.

For the purpose of adjusting the position of the feeler returning and holding stud, its shank is rotatably mounted loosely in the base plate 80 and a central portion of the shank is reduced in diameter where it is engaged by a set screw 140 (FIG. 20) threaded into the base plate. By loosening the set screw 140, the eccentric portion of the stud 136 may be raised or lowered through rotation of the stud to suit the requirements.

For actuating the feeler and guard carriage toward and from the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices, the carriage is connected to an electromagnetic solenoid mounted Within a housing 142, best shown in FIGS. 2 and 23. Passing loosely through the housing is a pair of screws 144 threaded into the frame of the solenoid. The housing 142 is made fast to the base plate 80 by a set of four screws, one of which is indicated at 146 in FIG. 23 passing through the base plate 80 into lugs on the housing.

The electromagnetic solenoid for actuating the feeler carriage is manufactured by G. H. Leland Incorporated, Dayton 2, Ohio, and is of the type designated as Ledex Rotary Solenoid, Catalogue B5-SL95-X5X9. This type of solenoid is equipped with an armature disk 148 rotatably mounted on the rear of the solenoid and actuated through approximately 90 about the axis of a horizontal shaft 150 whenever the solenoid is energized. Projecting rearwardly from the disk-148Iis a crank pin 152 mounted eccentrically to the central shaft 150. For connecting the disk 148 of the solenoid with the feeler carriage the perforated upper end of a link 1S3 loosely surrounds the crank pin 152 and the lowerend of the link is pivotally connected by a pin 156 (FIG. 2) with the end plate 72 of the carriage. When the carriage is in fully retracted position shown inFIGfZ, the crank pin 152 on the disk 148 lies in a radius extending from the axis of the shaft 150 at right angles to the length of the link 153. When the carriage is moved to its position of closest approach to the point of operation of the stitchforming devices, the link approaches alinement with the radius of the crank pin 152, increasing the mechanical advantage of the solenoid connection so as to reduce the possibility that the position of the carriage may be disturbed by the engagement of the feeler guard with the shoe.

To retract the feeler and guard from operative position after the feeler actuating solenoid has been de-energized, the central portion of the bolt 66 is engaged with an opening in the lower end of an angular link 154 passing upwardly through a slot 157 (see FIGS. 7 and 18) formed in the base plate 80 and connected at its upper end to a tension spring 158. The tension spring is stretched between the link 154 and a pin 160 secured in the base plate 80. v t

For energizing the feeler actuating solenoid, it is electrically connected with a safety release knee lever actu ated switch, corresponding to a switch 178 described in the prior Patent No. 2,900,933, the knee lever being actuated by the machine operator as the leading end of the welt first attached to a shoe approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second time.

To assist in the adjustment of the contacts 166, 108, and 110, the insulating bracket112 has a rectangular portion entering into a vertical slot 162 formed in a rearward surface of the base plate 80. Passing through the base plate into the slot 162 is a concentric portion of an eccentric nut 164, the eccentric portion of which fits loosely within an enlarged horizontal opening 166 formed in the bracket 112. Passing through the opening 166 in the bracket 112 is a clamp screw 168 engaging the nut .164 and acting against a shoulder formed by an enlargement, in the opening. The height of the opening is sufiicient to enable appreciable movement of the bracket 112 vertically in the slot 162, the bracket .being held from horizontal movement so that when the screw 168 is loosened and the nut 164 rotated, the bracket will be moved along the slot 162, changing the amount of separation between the contacts. Thereafter, the screw 168 may be tightened, securing the parts in adjusted positions.

To assist in adjusting the position of the feeler in its closest approach to the point of operation of the stitchforming devices, the cap screw 86 is loosened to free the dovetail slide 92 and the slide is shifted along its guideway on the plate 84. To shift the dovetail slide, a vertically elongated opening .170 (see FIGS. 2 and 24) is formed in the rearward surface of the slide and projecting through a horizontally elongated opening 172 (FIG. 2) in the slide is a concentric circular portion of an eccentric stud 174, the rearward end of which also is concentric with the forward portion and fits within a passage in the plate 84- (FIG. 24). The forward projecting portion of the stud 174 is provided with a hexagonal head to assist in rotating it and as it is rotated the eccentric portion shown in FIG. 24 in lowermost position moves the dovetail slide 92 along its guideway in a manner to adjust the horizontal position of the feeler and guide. To raise or lower the feeler and guide, the capscrews 96 are loosened and the'position of the base plate is shifted lengthwise of the slots 97.

.To shield the connection wires running to the screws 116 for the feeler contact assembly,-the portion of the L- shaped recess 114 containing them has high upstanding walls and is protected by a cover plate 176, through which passes a fastening screw 178 extending into threaded engagement with the insulating block 112. The cover plate also has an opening 180, through which the wires running to the terminal lugs 132 may be directed.

In applying the feeler and its actuating solenoid to the machine of the prior patents, obviously the prior feeler and its mechanically actuated connections must be removed. To energize the present feeler actuating solenoid, the switch 92 of the machine disclosed in Patent No. 2,885,980 is utilized to close the circuit to the feeler actuating solenoid of the present invention whenever the knee lever 65 of that prior patent is pressed rearwardly by the operator. The knee lever then is retained in rearward position by a solenoid-actuated latch. As soon as the welt-severing knife cuts the welt the solenoid-actuated latch releases the knee lever and the circuit to the feeler-actuating solenoid is opened, so that the feeler and guard are immediately retracted, enabling the shoe to continue in its feeding movements without obstruction by the feeler or guard. It thus appears that a particularly advantageous feeler and guard construction is provided for severing a welt or for actuating any tool required during operation of the stitch forming devices in a shoe sewing machine to perform an auxiliary operation other than stitch forming, feeding or guiding the shoe parts.

While the feeler and guardcombination of the present invention is primarily intended for use with a machine for inserting an inseam in :a Goodyear Welt shoe and for detecting the approach of the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as the welt end approaches the point of operation of the stitchaforming devices a second time, the feeler and guard may be used to advantage with other types of machines wherein a continuous welt or other strip is attached to a Work piece and where it is des able to sever the welt in forming a close fitting joint between the ends of the welt or stri For instance, the invention may be employed with -a machine wherein a welt or other strip is attached to a workpiece by cement, staples or other form of fastening. Whenever in the claims reference is made to a Goodyear welt shoe or the parts thereof, it is therefore intended that any other similar type of work piece and parts therefor be considered as equivalents.

The nature and scope of the invention having been pointed out and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

1. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating on the shoe parts entirely around a shoe, an operating tool acting during operation of said devices to perform an auxiliary operation other than stitch-forming, feeding or guiding the shoe parts, and mechanism for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the stitchforming devices comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe at a point backed by a bulging last supported portion of the upper as that end is approaching the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with a guard means extending beyond the end of the feeler at a position of engagement with the bulging upper of the shoe in line with the end of the welt first attached to the shoe for insuring proper engagement of the feeler with the end of the welt.

2. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchformin-g, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating on the shoe parts entirely around a shoe, an operating tool acting during operation of said devices to perform an auxiliary operation other than stitch-forming, feeding or guiding the shoe parts, and mechanism for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the stitchforming devices comprising a feeler for engaging the lead- 1 ing end of the welt first attached to the shoe at a point backed by a bulging last supported portion of the upper as that end is approaching the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with a guard means extending beyond the end of the feeler at a position of engagement with the bulging upper of the shoe in line with the end of the welt first attached to the shoe for insuring proper engagement of the feeler with the end of the welt, and means for moving the feeler and guard means toward and from the shoe to enable the shoe to be directed exclusively by the guiding devices during the major portion of the seam inserted by the stitch-forming devices.

3. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around a shoe, -a welt severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane form-v ing an acute angle with that portion of the welt passingthrough its guiding device toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed, and mechanism for actuating the knife in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices comprising a feeler located to engage the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with aguard means extending along the welt-engaging end of the feeler and having an indentation within which the feeler is exposed for preventing engagement of the welt with the feeler except along the obtuse angle ridge.

4. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchanning, feeding and guiding dew'ces capable of operat- Gil ing on the shoe parts entirely around a shoe, an operating tool acting during operation of said devices to perform an auxiliary operation other than stitch-forming, feeding or guiding the shoe parts, and mechanism for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the stitchforming devices comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe at a point backed by a bulging last supported portion of the upper as that end is approaching the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with a guard means extending along the feeler and having a welt deflecting surface forming an acute angle with the bulging upper of the shoe along that portion running in the direction of feed toward the feeler for pressing the welt firmly into engagement with the bulging upper before the Welt contacts with the feeler.

5. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around a shoe, a welt severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane forming an acute angle with that portion of the welt passing through its guiding device toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed, and mechanism for actuating the knife in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices comprising a feeler located to engage the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with a guard means extending along the feeler and having a welt-deflecting surface forming an acute angle less than the acute angle between the welt and the knife, said guard means having an indentation within which the feeler is exposed for preventing contact of the welt with the feeler except along the obtuse angle ridge.

6. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear Welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around a shoe, a welt severing knife I mounted for movement toward and from the Welt in a plane forming an acute angle With that portion of the welt passing through its guiding'device toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed, and mechanism for actuating the knife in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices com prising a feeler located to engage the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with a guard means extending along the feeler and having a Welt-deflecting surface forming an acute angle less than the acute angle between the welt and the knife, said guard means having an indentation within which the feeler is exposed to prevent contact of the welt with the feeler except along the obtuse angle ridge, said indentation forming an opening between the end of the welt-deflecting surface and the bulging upper of the shoe for admitting the thickness of the welt only.

7. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around a shoe, a welt severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane forming an acute angle with that portion of the welt passing through its guiding device toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed, and mechanism for actuating the knife in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices comprising a feeler located to engage the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second, time, in combination with a guard means having an upper engaging terminal extending along and beyond the weltengaging end of the feeler, a welt-deflecting surface forming an acute angle with the bulging upper of the shoe running in the direction of feed toward the feeler and having an indentation at the end of the welt-deflecting surface, within which indentation the feeler is exposed for forming a space between the end of the welt-deflecting surface and the shoe upper of a width to receive the thickness of the welt only, to prevent contact of the welt with the feeler except along the obtuse angle ridge on the welt.

8. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and an insole member provided with a continuous rib, said machine having stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices including a channel guide engaging the inner surface of the rib on the insole and a welt guide for directing the welt against the outside of the upper engaging the rib, and acting with the channel guide to support the rib during formation of the stitches entirely around the insole rib, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices comprising 'a feeler located to engage the leading end of the welt first attached to the rib as that end approaches the operating point of the stitch-forming devices a second time, in combination with a guard extending along the welt-engaging end of the feeler and having a fender means projecting beyond that side of the feeler facing the insole rib for preventing engagement of the feeler with a portion of the upper which is fastened to the rib.

9. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and an insole member, said machine having stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices for the shoe parts capable of operating entirely around a shoe, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane forming an acute angle with that portion of the welt passing through its guiding device toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to form an obtuse angle ridge on the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife in advance of the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time, in combination with a guard extending beyond the end of the feeler to a position of engagement with the bulging upper of the shoe in line with the end of the welt first attached to the shoe, a carriage on which the feeler and guard are secured, and a track in which the carriage is movable toward and from the shoe along a path extending at an acute angle to the welt already attached to the insole member by the stitch-forming devices in advance of their point of operation.

10. A Goodyear inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices for the shoe parts, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane at an acute angle to the welt along that portion of the welt passing through its guiding devices toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to form an obtuse angle ridge on the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time during continued sewing of the shoe, in combination with a guard plate means extending along the feeler and having a deflecting surface extending toward the bulging upper of the shoe in the direction of feed in advance of the feeler and forming an acute angle with the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe for shielding the feeler from contact with the welt while exposing the feeler to engagement with the obtuse angle ridge on the welt end at a predetermined position along the sole margin as the leading end of the welt is deflected along the guard plate means to insure actuation of the knife uniformly at the same position relatively to the ridge on the welt end through a wide range of possible relationships during presentation of the shoe to the stitchforming devices.

11. A Goodyear inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported shoeupper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices for the shoe parts, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the Welt in a plane at an acute angle to the welt along that portion of the welt passing through its guiding devices toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to form an obtuse angle ridge on the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time during continued sewing of the shoe, in combination with a guard plate means extending along the feeler and having a deflecting surface extending toward the bulging upper of the shoe in the direction of feed in advance of the feeler and forming an acute angle with the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe for shielding the feeler from contact with the welt while exposing the feeler to engagement with the obtuse angle ridge on the welt end at a predetermined position along the sole margin as the leading end of the welt is deflected along the guard plate means to insure actuation of the knife uniformly at the same position relatively to the ridge on the welt end through a wide range of possible relationships during presentation of the shoe to the stitchforming devices, and means for insuring that the welt end will slide along the guard plate means and will be deflected firmly against the bulging last-supported portion of the upper comprising an inclined surface and an upper engaging terminal on the guard plate means projecting beyond the end of the inclined surface on the guard plate means by an amount equal to the thickness of the welt being operated upon.

12. A Goodyear inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices for the shoe parts, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane at an acute angle to the welt along that portion of the welt passing through its guiding devices toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to form an obtuse angle ridge on the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time during continued sewing of the shoe, in combination with a guard plate means extending along the feeler and having a deflecting surface extending toward the bulging upper of the shoe in the direction of feed in advance of the feeler and forming an acute angle with the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe for shielding the feeler from contact with the welt while exposing the feeler to engagement with the obtuse angle ridge on the welt end at a predetermined position along the sole margin as the leading end of the welt is deflected along the guard plate means to insure actuation of the knife uniformly at the same position relatively to the ridge on the welt end through a wide range of possible relationships during presentation of the shoe to the stitch-forming devices, the acute angle formed between the guard plate means and the bulging upper being smaller than the acute angle between the knife and the Welt to cause the guard plate means to engage the welt only along the obtuse angle ridge formed by the knife in its previous operation.

13. A Goodyear inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices for the shoe parts, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane at an acute angle to the welt along that portion of the welt passing through its guiding devices toward the point of operation of the stitchforming devices to form an obtuse angle ridge on the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time during continued sewing of the shoe, in combination with a guard plate means extending along the feeler and having a deflecting surface extending toward the bulging upper of the shoe in the direction of feed in advance of the feeler and forming an acute angle with the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe for shielding the feeler from contact with the welt while exposing the feeler to engagement with the obtuse angle ridge on the welt end at a predetermined position along the sole margin as the leading end of the welt is deflected along the guard plate means to insure actuation of the knife uniformly at the same position relatively to the ridge on the welt end through a wide range of possible relationships during presentation of the shoe to the stitchforming devices, the acute angle formed between the guard plate means and the bulging upper being smaller than the acute angle between the knife and the welt to cause the guard plate means to engage the welt only along the obtuse angle ridge formed by the knife in its previous operation, and the guard plate means having an indentation along its welt-deflecting surface in which indentation the feeler is exposed, and an upper engaging terminal projecting beyond the indentation by an amount at least equal to the thickness of the welt operated upon.

14. A Goodyear inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to the marginal portions of a last-supported shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitchforming, feeding and guiding devices for the shoe parts, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt in a plane at an acute angle to the welt along that portion of the welt passing through its guiding devices toward the point of operation of the stitch-forming devices to form an obtuse angle ridge on the welt, and mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the leading end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end approaches the operating point a second time during continued sewing of the shoe, in combination with a guard plate means extending along the feeler and having a deflecting surface extending toward the bulging upper of the shoe in the direction of feed in advance of the feeler and forming an acute angle with the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe for shielding the feeler from contact with the welt While exposing the feeler to engagement with the obtuse angle ridge on the welt end at a predetermined position along the sole margin as the leading end of the welt is deflected along the guard plate means to insure actuation of the ridge on the welt end through a wide range of possible relationships during presentation of the shoe to the stitchforming devices, and means for retracting the guard plate means from the shoe after the welt has been severed by the knife.

15. A machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having attaching, feeding and guiding devices for operating entirely around a shoe, an operating tool for performing an auxiliary operation on the shoe other than attaching, feeding or guiding the shoe parts during operation of said devices, mechanism for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as the welt is approaching the point of operation of the attaching devices a second time. and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with track means engaged by the carriage and inclined in the direction of feed toward a bulging portion of the last-supported shoe upper.

16. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around a shoe, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt along a path inclined to the welt at a point in advance of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed, mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end is approaching the sewing point a second time, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the sewing point, in combination with track means engaged by the carriage and inclined in the direction of feed toward the bulging shoe upper at an acute angle less than that producing the ridge on the welt.

17. An inseam sewing machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole memher, said machine having stitch-forming, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around a shoe, a welt-severing knife mounted for movement toward and from the welt along a path inclined to the welt at a point in advance of the stitch-forming devices to produce an obtuse angle ridge on the welt after being severed, mechanism for actuating the knife comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as that end is approaching the sewing point a second time, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the sewing point, in combination with curved track means by which the movement of the carriage is directed along an arcuate path inclined in the direction of feed toward a portion of the bulging last-supported upper of the shoe at a position where the feeler is engaged by the Welt, the angle of the carriage path being less than that by which the knife is inclined to the welt after being attached to the shoe.

18. A machine for attaching a Welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having a main frame, attaching, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around the shoe, an operating tool for performing an operation other than attaching, feeding or guiding during the operation of the attaching devices, mechanism for actuating the tool into engagement with one part of the shoe in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices, comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as the welt end is approaching the attaching point the second time during continued operation of the machine, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with track means on the'machine frame for the carriage, an electrical contact on the feeler, a cooperating electrical contact on the machine frame, means for stopping movement of the carriage along the track means toward the point of operation of the attaching devices at a position where the contact on the feeler is disposed opposite to the contact on the frame, and means acting when the carriage is shifted away from the operating point to move the feeler to a position on the carriage where the contacts are separated when the carriage is again shifted toward the operating point of the attaching devices.

19. A machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having a main frame, attaching, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around the shoe, an operating tool for performing an operation other than attaching, feeding or guiding during the operation of the at- 17 taching devices, mechanism for actuating the tool into engagement with one part of the shoe in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices, comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as the welt end is approaching the attaching point the second time during continued \operation of the machine, and

a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with track means on the machine frame for the carriage, an electrical contact on the feeler, a cooperating electrical contact on the machine frame, means for stopping movement of the carriage along the track means toward the point of operation of the attaching devices at a position where the contact on the feeler is disposed opposite to the contact on the frame, and a stud on the machine frame acting while the carriage is being shifted away from the operating point to engage the feeler and to return it to a position relative to the carriage where the contacts are separated when the carriage is again shifted toward the operating point.

20. A machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having a main frame, attaching, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around the shoe, an operating tool for performing an operation other than attaching, feeding or guiding during the operation of the attaching devices, mechanism for actuating the tool into engagement with one part of. the shoe in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices, comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the Welt first attached to the shoe as the welt end is approaching the attaching point the second time during continued operation of the machine, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with track means on the machine frame for the carriage, an electrical contact on the feeler, a cooperating electrical contact on the machine frame, means for stopping movement of the carriage along the track means toward the point of operation of the attaching devices at a position where the contact on the feeler is disposed opposite to the contact on the frame, a spring for holding the feeler yieldingly in a position with the contacts separated while they are opposed to each other, and means for returning the feeler positively relatively to the carriage while the carriage is being shifted away from the operating point of the attaching devices into a position where the contacts will be separated when the carriage is again shifted toward the operating point of the attaching devices.

21. A machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having a main frame, attaching, feeding and guiding devices capable of operating entirely around the shoe, an operating tool for performing an operation other than attaching, feeding or guiding during the operation of the attaching devices, mechanism for actuating the tool into engagement with one part of the shoe in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices, comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the Welt first attached to the shoe as the welt end is approaching the attaching point the second time during continued operation of the machine, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with track means on the machine frame for the carriage, an electrical contact on the feeler, a cooperating electrical contact on the machine frame, means for stopping movement of the carriage along the track means toward the point of operation of the attaching devices at a position where the contact on the feeler is disposed opposite to the contact on the frame, a spring means acting on the feeler for holding the feeler yieldingly in a position with the contacts separated while they are opposed to each other, means for returning the feeler positively relatively to the carriage while the carriage is being shifted away from i 18 thejoperating point of the attaching devices into a position where the contacts will be separated when the carriage is again shifted toward the operating point of the attaching devices, and means for adjusting the position of the feeler returning means on the machine frame. I

p 22. Amachine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyearwelt'shbe'upper and a'sole member, said machine having attaching, feeding and guiding devices for operating entirely around a shoe, an operating tool for performing an auxiliary operation on the shoe other than attaching, feeding or guiding the shoe parts during operation of said devices, mechanism for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as the welt is approaching the point of operation of the attaching devices a second time, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with a guard means a-lso mounted on the shiftable carriage and disposed in surrounding relation to the feeler to shield the feeler from'engagement with the shoe parts other than the welt.

23. A machine for attaching a welt to a last-supported Goodyear welt shoe upper and a sole member, said machine having attaching, feeding and guiding devices for operating entirely around a shoe, an operating tool for performing an auxiliary operation on the shoe other than attaching, feeding or guiding the shoe parts during operation of said devices, mechanism for actuating the tool in advance of the point of operation of the attaching devices comprising a feeler for engaging the end of the welt first attached to the shoe as the welt is approaching the point of operation of the attaching devices a second time, and a shiftable carriage on which the feeler is mounted for limited bodily movement toward and from the point of operation of the attaching devices, in combination with a feeler actuated switch means having two parts, one of which is fixed and the other of which is movable with the feeler toward and from the shoe being operated upon, said parts of the switch means being disposed at one limit of the carriage movement opposite each other when the feeler is shifted with its carriage into operative relationship with the shoe and being disposed at the other limit of the carriage movement out of line with each other to prevent operation of the feeler switch means when the feeler and its carriage are shifted away from the shoe.

24. A feeler for detecting the approach of the leading end of a welt or other strip first atached to a Work piece as the welt end approaches a second time to the point of operation of the operating devices in a machine for attaching the welt to the work piece, comprising a base plate, a lever extending toward the work piece, in combination with a guard means on which the lever is fulcrumed and which extends from the base plate beyond the work-engaging end of the feeler to a position of engagement with the work piece in line with the end of the welt first attached to the work piece to insure proper engagement of the feeler with the end of the welt.

25. A feeler for detecting the approach of the leading end of a welt or other strip first attached to a work piece as the welt end approaches a second time to the point of operation of the operating devices in a machine for attaching the welt to the work piece, comprising a base plate, a lever extending toward the work piece, in combination with a guard means on which the lever is fulcrumed and which extends from the base plate beyond the work-engaging end of the feeler to a position of engagement with the work piece in line with the end of the welt first attached to the work piece to insure proper engagement of the feeler with the end of the welt, a carriage on which the feeler and guard means are secured and a track on the base plate in which the carriage is movable toward and from the work piece along a path 29 extending a; an acute anglefq the welt already attached 1,958,132 Davis May 8, 1934 to the work piece in' adVance of the point of operation 2,685,664 Visconti Aug. 3, 1954 of me operating devices. 2,885,989 Carter May 12, 1959 2,900,932 Pickford et a1 Aug. 25,, 1959 Refgl'ences Cited In the file of thls patent 6 2 3 G m gun-- Aug. 25 1959 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,407,712 S teveus Feb. 28 19 22 

